She was fast — faster than I had expected — but I hadn’t yet let her see how fast I could actually go. The trail narrowed ahead, winding between trees and roots, providing the perfect opportunity for a little … interference.
“Careful now.” I fell back as the trail no longer allowed us to run side by side. “Wouldn’t want you falling for me. Literally.”
Tori smirked over her shoulder. “Falling for you? Never gonna happen.”
A sudden bend in the road forced her to slow down and I surged forward, my fingers brushing the small of her back as I passed her. Tori flinched in surprise, and I could feel the electricity snapping between us.
“Hey!” She danced out of my reach, her green eyes flashing. “Not fair!”
“Fair?” I shot back. “I don’t even know what that means. You might enjoy getting caught by me more than you think.”
Tori snorted. “Sure.”
“Wanna bet?” My pulse was pounding and I could feel the first surges of adrenaline shooting through my veins.
She took a step to the side, forcing me to match her movement so I wouldn’t lose my footing on the uneven ground off the path. “You might get more than you bargained for if you catch me.”
My eyebrows rose and my half-hard cock twitched with interest.
Letting the edge in my voice grow, I fixed her with a hard stare. “Then maybe that’s the point.”
We slowed to walk for a moment, our hands brushing as we skirted a tree trunk. “So …whenI catch you, what happens? I need to know what the prize is.”
“Prize?” she echoed, a sardonic smirk tugging at her lips. “Why spoil it? You’ll find out …ifyou can actually catch me.”
Nodding thoughtfully, I scanned the surrounding area. Dusk was falling and there was not a soul in sight.
“Fair enough. I also want to know where the lines are. How far I can go before it’s too much.”
She slowed just slightly, eyes glinting. “Lines? Ha. You wouldn’t last a minute with me. But … good luck trying anyway.”
Her words hit me like a spark in dry grass — taunting and electric. I felt the grin spread before I even realized it.
She wanted to play?Fine. I could play.
Without thinking, I reacted when she shifted her weight and took off.
“Catch me if you can, Pretty Boy,” she called over her shoulder. I surged forward, my teeth flashing in a grin I was sure had a feral edge to it.
Game on.
“You think I’m pretty?” I called out after her.
Tori zigzagged down the narrow trail, kicking up leaves in her wake. Laughing breathlessly, she cast a quick glance over her shoulder to assess how close I was.
She sped up with a squeal when she discovered me a mere five feet behind her. She was fast, but my height gave me an unfair advantage. For every three steps she took, I took one.
I could easily have caught up with her, but where would be the fun in that?
Deliberately slowing my steps, I let her believe she was getting away, delighted by the triumphant smirk playing around her lips as she looked back once more.
“That all you got?”
Ireallywanted to fuck this cockiness out of her. My pulse pounded in my ears and my adrenaline spiked as I chased after her, scanning the area for possible routes.
A plan was forming in my head. What I really needed to do was get her to leave the trail. Although it appeared to be deserted, there was no way I’d take the chance of being interrupted once I finally caught up with her.
I sped up once I spotted the perfect angle — the same instinct I use when reading a winger's hips. I didn’t go straight for her, though. Instead, I shadowed her steps, closing the ground between us in the same way I would when cutting off a sideline break.
